Pupils at a Nuneaton school are backing their head teacher over a row that erupted during an end-of-year photo shoot.

Teenagers at Alderman Smith School, in Radnor Drive, Stockingford, have admitted they acted rashly following the abandoned session on Wednesday.

They have apologised to head teacher Trevor Nunn for doubting his judgement over the shoot, which was put back indefinitely after a suspended boy, who had been allowed on site for the picture, swore at a member of staff.

A group of pupils decided to speak for the majority of year 11 in expressing their regrets over the incident. One 16-year-old girl said: "We are like a family at Alderman Smith and this was just a family row - we stormed off and then came back and went to our rooms.

"The teachers announced in front of everyone that the boy had to leave and we didn't know why. We just all acted in the heat of the moment, people thought we wouldn't be able to have the photo taken.

"But now we've heard both sides of the story and we feel really guilty for acting the way we did."

The year 11 pupils had begun stamping on the staging in protest and then about 50 stormed off to the local park once the bell had rung for lunchtime.

But after cooling down, they returned in time for the start of the afternoon lessons, with only a few stragglers coming back a few minutes late.

Another girl said: "The teachers were upset and we were upset because we've been together for five years and it's our memories, but Mr Nunn has said he will try to re-arrange it for us.

"We feel really bad now. We've got an excellent school and we work as a team, we talk things through. Mr Nunn, bless him, is great, we love him."

Mr Nunn added: "I'm proud of the way they have come out of this. It's been a learning curve for them, and a lesson in how to listen to both sides of an argument."